Why America’s Love Affair with Cars Is No Accident

The auto industry campaigned against the relatively bloody rise of cars in the early 20th century via TV, the term “jaywalker” and school safety patrols

Drivers may feel spooked by seeing the first self-driving cars appear in coming years. But the new era could prove far less disruptive and bloody than the automobile’s 20th-century battle to push pedestrians off U.S. streets.